TODAY'S NEWS: FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011

HUNDREDS PARTICIPATE IN MARCELLUS SHALE DISCUSSION

PUBLIC OFFICIALS, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY RESIDENTS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC GATHERED ARMED WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FATE OF NATURAL GAS DRILLING IN THE COUNTY. T102/WPPA'S JASMINE BROOKS HAS MORE:

MARCELLUS SHALE

HOLDEN NAMED TO CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRATS

THE 2010 NATIONAL JOURNAL ANNUAL RATINGS NAMED CONGRESSMAN TIM HOLDEN AS THE 14TH MOST CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT IN THE SECOND SESSION OF THE 111TH CONGRESS AND FOURTH MOST CONSERVATIVE REMAINING DEMOCRAT AFTER THE 2010 MIDTERM ELECTIONS. THE NATIONAL JOURNAL DETERMINED RANKING BY EXAMINING 100 ROLL CALL VOTES CATEGORIZED AS ECONOMIC, FOREIGN AND SOCIAl. OF THOSE, ECONOMIC ISSUES DOMINATED THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. EACH VOTE WAS WEIGHTED AND MEMBERS WERE RANKED FROM LIBERAL T CONSERVATIVE BASED ON THEIR FINAL VOTE. CONGRESSMAN HOLDEN VOTED CONSERVATIVELY MORE ON THAN 54-PERCENT OF THESE ROLL-CALL VOTES.

MACADOO MAN CHARGE WITH SHOOTING

AFTER A SEARCH AND SEIZURE WEDNESDAY NIGHT, A MACADOO MAN WAS CHARGED THURSDAY NIGHT WITH SHOOTING UP THE HOME AND VEHICLE OF A WEATHERLY COUPLE ON FEBRUARY 12TH. THE STANDARD SPEAKER REPORTS 32-YEAR-OLD JAMES DELBO, FORMERLY OF ASHLAND, WAS LIVING AT 133 HANCOCK STREET, MACADOO WHEN HE AS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. DELBO WAS CHARGED WITH 15 FELONY COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND OTHER RELATED CHARGES AND IS BEING HELD AT CARBON COUNTY PRISON ON $250,000 CASH BAIL. A PRELIMINARY HEARING IS SCHEDULED WEDNESDAY MORNING.


POTTSVILLE RECRUITS NEW BUSINESSES

RECRUITING NEW BUSINESS TO THE VIBRANT COMMUNITY OF POTTSVILLE IS WHAT THE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION IS ALL ABOUT. T102/WPPA'S JASMINE BROOKS REPORTS:

PADCO STORY

LOCALS ATTENDING FLOWER SHOW

THE LARGEST INDOOR FLOWER SHOW IN THE WORLD IS TAKING PLACE NEXT WEEK IN PHILADELPHIA AND HUNDREDS OF LOCALS WILL BE ATTENDING AND SOME EVEN COMPETING. THE 2011 PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL FLOWER SHOW IS A WEEK-LONG EVENT THAT ATTRACTS ABOUT A QUARTER MILLION VISITORS EACH YEAR. THE REPUBLICAN HERALD REPORTS MARJORIE FAUST FROM NEW RINGGOLD WILL BE ENTERING HER HANDMADE INTRICATE JEWELRY, MADE OF FLOWERS, IN THE JEWELRY DIVISION.

STATE NEWS:

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - THE STATE'S JOBLESS HEADED DOWNWARD IN JANUARY AS EMPLOYERS ADDED JOBS FOR A FIFTH STRAIGHT MONTH. STATE LABOR FIGURES PUT JANUARY'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT 8.2 PERCENT, DOWN THREE-TENTHS OF A PERCENTAGE POINT.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - PHILADELPHIA MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER HAS LAID OUT A $3.45 BILLION BUDGET TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. THE SPENDING PLAN WOULD PAY FOR A NEW CLASS OF POLICE CADETS AND INVOLVES FEW SPENDING CUTS, BUT NUTTER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT COULD CHANGE WHEN GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT COMES OUT WITH HIS STATE BUDGET LATER THIS MONTH.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - THE PARENTS OF A U.S AIRMAN FROM WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SAYS HE IS STABLE AFTER BEING SHOT IN THE BACK AND THE HEAD IN AN ATTACK ON A BUS AT A GERMAN AIRPORT. TWO PEOPLE DIED IN THE ATTACK. THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE REPORTS KRISTOFFER SCHNEIDER HAD SURGERY ON ONE OF HIS EYES YESTERDAY.

NEW YORK (AP) - A JAMIE WYETH PAINTING DEPICTING HIS YELLOW LABRADOR WITH A BLACK CIRCLE AROUND HIS EYE HAS SOLD IN NEW YORK FOR $218,500. CHRISTIES SAYS "STUDY OF KLEBERG" BROUGHT MORE THAN FIVE TIMES THE PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF $40,000. THE PENNSYLVANIA PAINTER SAYS HE PAINTED THE CIRCLE AROUND THE DOG'S EYE IN THE 1980S AFTER THE POOCH GOT TOO CLOSE TO HIS EASEL.

NATIONAL NEWS:

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE LABOR DEPARTMENT COMES OUT WITH ITS FEBRUARY JOBS REPORT TODAY AND ECONOMISTS SAY THE GOOD NEWS WILL BE ABOUT JOB CREATION. EXPERTS SAY THEY THINK 175,000-200,000 JOBS MAY HAVE BEEN CREATED. THE THINKING IS BOLSTERED BY NEWS THAT FEWER PEOPLE FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS LAST WEEK THAN IN ANY WEEK IN NEARLY THREE YEARS. THE ACTUAL JOBLESS RATE COULD INCH UP AS PEOPLE REJOIN THE HUNT FOR WORK.

MADISON, WIS. (AP) - WISCONSIN'S GOVERNOR COULD UP THE ANTE TODAY IN A BATTLE OVER LEGISLATION TO STRIP STATE WORKERS OF MANY COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS. REPUBLICAN GOV. SCOTT WALKER SAYS HE'LL ISSUE 1,500 LAYOFF NOTICES TODAY UNLESS AT LEAST ONE OF THE 14 SENATE DEMOCRATS RETURNS FROM ILLINOIS TO GIVE THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY THE QUORUM IT NEEDS TO VOTE. WALKER SAYS HE'S TRYING TO CUT A BUDGET DEFICIT.

TRIPOLI, LIBYA (AP) - FIGHTERS LOYAL TO MOAMMAR GADHAFI HAVE SET UP CHECKPOINTS IN TRIPOLI WHILE LIBYA'S OPPOSITION HAS CALLED FOR PROTESTERS TO MARCH OUT OF MOSQUES AFTER NOON PRAYERS TODAY. SIMILAR PROTESTS LAST FRIDAY WERE MET BY BRUTAL RETALIATION: PRO-REGIME MILITIAMEN OPENED FIRE IMMEDIATELY ON THE MARCHES, KILLING AND WOUNDING A STILL UNKNOWN NUMBER. THE OPPOSITION WANTS GADHAFI OUT.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AP) - OFFICIALS IN SOUTH KOREA HAVE WARNED OF A SUBSTANTIAL THREAT TO THE COUNTRY'S COMPUTERS AFTER HACKERS ATTACKED ABOUT 40 GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE WEBSITES. SIMILAR ATTACKS HAVE BEEN TRACED TO CHINA. A TOP SOUTH KOREAN CYBERSECURITY COMPANY SAYS THE TARGETS INCLUDED SOUTH KOREA'S PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE, THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, U.S. FORCES KOREA AND SOME MAJOR FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - THE CROWD IS EXPECTED TO BE MORE THAN THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILLION PEOPLE IN RIO AS THE ANNUAL PRE-LENTEN CARNIVAL (KAHR-NIH-VAHL') SWINGS INTO ACTION. REVELERS ARE ALREADY PACKING STREETS AND DANCING TO SAMBA BEATS. CARNIVAL OFFICIALLY OPENS WHEN KING MOMO, THE MYTHICAL FIGURE RULING OVER THE CHAOS, IS HANDED THE KEYS TO THE CITY.